Thursday, 18 March 2021

Bayswater electorate veterans

Mr TAYLOR (Bayswater) (17:23): (5830) I wish to raise a matter with the Minister for Veterans in the other place, Shaun Leane. The action I seek is that the minister join with me to visit some of our local veterans’ community in Boronia. We owe a great deal to our—

Members interjecting.

Mr TAYLOR: I am here to talk about the veterans community in Boronia. We owe a great deal to our veterans community and their families, and we can never forget the great sacrifices made by the many service men and women who have served and who still continue to serve.

Locally I am very proud to have several veterans organisations who support veterans, their families and the community. The Veterans Advocacy Centre in Boronia offers veterans welfare and financial help, food and fuel vouchers, and guidance in navigating the often complex system of gaining compensation through the commonwealth Department of Veterans Affairs. I have had the privilege of being down there to meet the team but also sadly listening to some of the tragic stories and lengths that many unnecessarily have to go to to receive support. The centre is doing amazing work in helping veterans to get the assistance they need and is also supported by the Aussie Veterans op shop, with proceeds from that local success story helping to provide funding to the centre. The op shop is also run by more than 50 dedicated volunteers. It is just amazing stuff.

Of course just a stone’s throw away from the op shop there is also a social enterprise, the Aussie Veterans Coffee Co. Their business is run by advocates and welfare officers with the goal of providing employment opportunities for the most injured and ill veterans and their families and helps to support the advocacy centre as well.

It has been great to meet the teams at the Aussie Veterans op shop and the advocacy centre as well as the Aussie Veterans Coffee Co, but I am keen to get the minister out to meet them and to hear firsthand the experiences of local veterans communities in my area and of course the issues they are currently facing. These vital ex-service organisations are also at the forefront in calling for a federal royal commission into veteran suicide and the system that is set up to support veterans and their families. I know the minister has been extremely proactive in calling on the federal government to listen to veterans and implement a royal commission, and I would like the minister to hear directly from the veteran community in my electorate how important this is. I thank the minister for his consideration of my request. I am looking forward to welcoming him to Boronia. I thank the veterans community for their service, and I also acknowledge their families.